The College of Greys
by Mrchez5235
Summary: This story introduces a Third Sect of Force Users. They are known as Grey Jedi. The Time frame is from the Phantom Menace to the fall of the Republic. The Grey Jedi pull from both the dark and light side of the Force. In this, a Force Sensitive training in the Order, will learn the path of the Greys, and and the True meaning of the Force, as the Jedi and Sith have both overlooked
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The College**

The ship was well lit, small, but comfortable for the most part. Vel had been on better transports, especially with his parents as diplomats. He had normally gotten private ships with body guards and servants but this was not bad by any means. Although it was more crowded than desired in his opinion. Vel was an 18-year-old boy with a golden light skin color and wavy brown hair down to the back of his neck and brow. It was well kept and neat, like the rest of his demeanor. His most prominent feature where his golden yellow eyes. They were what most people noticed about him upon meeting him. He looked down at his hands and thought about his decision to join the order. A girl next to him nudged him. She looked a year or two older than him. She had tan skin with dark hair and green eyes. She had high distinct cheekbones and her wavy hair was brushed back behind one ear.

"Hi there, I"m Khala. Khala vui kas. What's your name?" She asked with a comforting smile.

"Vel Moren, just call me Vel." He said with a nervous smile in return.

"You have very beautiful eyes." She said as she stared deeply into them

"Thanks" he blushed

"Are you nervous about joining the order?" She asked

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to get a second chance at an opportunity like this until I found out about this order." He replied as he turned to face her

"Yeah, I know how you feel. I'm just glad that there were more options because it would be wasted potential." She agreed

"We will be landing on Marelas in 1 minute. Please collect your belongings and line up by the entrance of the door." The pilot said on the loudspeaker.

"That's us, let's go" Khala said before grabbing a duffle bag and got in the forming line. Vel quickly scurried to his feet and grabbed his stuff. He took his place behind the girl he met and waited for touch down. There was a bit of turbulence but no one was losing balance. They, shortly after, felt the hydraulics of the ship's landing gear support the weight of the landing ship. The door opened and the bright light bled in to the ship. They all started stepping out one by one and made a circle around two hooded figure standing on the landing pad. Vel disregarded the figures and took in the surroundings of the planet. The landing pad was a large circular platform that was attached to the side of a mountain with a large double door leading into the cliff. As far as he could see, there were mountains, hills, trees, and valleys. It was in the middle of winter there so it was all snow covered. There was wind from the altitude but it wasn't unbearable. He turned his attention to the two figures.

"Hello young and old. Welcome to Marelas. My name is Geran fae. I am pleased to welcome you to the order. Most of you here are gifted in the ways of the force, many of you may not have any capabilities at all. It does not matter, for the force is with all. We take the time to generate it within those who aren't born skilled with it. In or philosophy, everyone deserves the knowledge of the force and the ability to use it. Those of you who don't have a connection to the force will be separated from those who possess a connection. All of those who are force wielders come with me, all those who aren't, stay here with Master Keros. The group of mostly teenagers and children split quickly into two groups. Vel walked towards the capable line and noticed Khala was two people behind him.

"Very well, please come with me into the temple. You will be fitted with your robes, and introduced to the curriculum. They started walking to the large double doors that were carved into the cliff. As they neared closer, they came to a stop. The master turned around and said "Welcome to the College of Greys". Then they opened the doors. There were people dressed in the same robes as the master leading them. Some were going about their business while others lined the way for the new inductees so they knew the proper location. They bowed as the group walked by. Everyone was in astonishment as they looked at the large marble room in which they walked through. Vel was reminded of the Jedi Temple when he looked around, but everyone looked the same. He had also noticed that the robes they were wearing looked exactly like the Jedi robes but the tabard covered their entire body until a few inched before the ankle (like crusader tabards but with out the cross). It also had a hood attached directly to the tabard. It went down to about mid shin and they were a color combination of predominantly white robes with black accent or a similar color scheme with grey in places of either black or white. It had the same leather belt and obi belt underneath it as the Jedi. Beneath the tabard was the a tunic with baggy sleeves and an under tunic being very reminiscent of the Jedi's. Some of the members had golden trim which designated the level of Master. The Scholars(knights) and the students (Padawans) wore a combination of black with white without any trim and the length of the robes reached about the ankle. As everyone approached the rooms there were three glowing crystals in them suspended in a gravity lock that caught everyone's attention. There was a green, blue, and yellow crystal.

"Line up one by one and stand next to the one that you most feels call to you." Master Geran said from behind his hood.

Some of the students didn't even wait one by one, they were just inclined to go to either blue or green. Strangely enough, no one went to the yellow crystal. Vel noticed that Khala was in the line of the green crystal. He stood there and didn't feel drawn to any of them. He tried to feel something but he couldn't. He started to get nervous because everyone including the master was watching him.

"Is everything alright young one?" Master Geran said with a face hidden in shadow. Khala looked concerned for him. Vel started to get anxious and looked around at everyone.

"Calm you mind" he said to himself "Calm your mind" He took a few deep breathes and removed every thought from his head. He was struggling to. How could he clear his mind? Everyone is staring at him. Suddenly he heard whispers. They weren't malicious but they just seemed to be coming from one of the directions. It was hard to focus on the location so he closed his eyes and put his hand out to guide him. He started walked and the whispers got louder and louder and then suddenly… he felt a crystal. He opened his eyes and saw that he had grabbed the yellow one. He looked at it strangely.

"Hmmm, you are more powerful than I believe you think. Your balance in the force has led to you the crystal off balance." Guthi started walking over to him with his hand on his chin.

"What… What do you mean?" Vel asked curiously

"Each crystal symbolizes a specialty. Blue crystals are those who are natural warriors and fighters. Green signifies mental prowess and negotiation skills. Yellow falls right down the middle in terms of that. You seem to be a natural born negotiator and fighter." Geran smiled and rubbed Vel on the head.

"Very few get the yellow crystal. You are very lucky in that sense." Geran turned to the rest of the students. "Now, we will all converge in the main hall again and complete your introduction into the order. Then you will be brought to you dormitories where you can settled in. Now, let's go, the others are probably waiting for us." Master Geran waved for them all to follow. Everyone stuck close behind him and walked quickly, but Khala fell back to speak with Vel.

"Hey, that's pretty incredible. You got the best of both worlds." She said cheerfully at him.

"Yeah, I guess, I think your class suits you well. You seem like a very personable person who is good at talking to others." He came back with a compliment

"Thanks, maybe one day we will be on the floor of the senate together." She commented with a hope filled smile. Vel nodded and smiled. They arrived back in the main hall and there were the others who weren't force sensitive. They all sounded very excited as well as Vel's group. As they all mingled together again, Master Geran and Keros went to the front of the group and told them all to be silence. They started to speak about the curriculum but Vel wasn't paying attention. He was looking at the Architecture and the giant hall of building. This, he knew, was only a small portion of the building, as he had seen more as on the top of the cliff. He couldn't wait to get started with his training. He was too old to join the Jedi when he discovered his force abilities. He had only heard about the College of Greys though a friend of his. The college wasn't as well known as the Jedi, but they did one thing that the Jedi didn't put the time or effort into. Force cultivation in those who aren't natural born sensitives. People who don't have natural force abilities can study here and develop the force through meditation and practice. Besides, the force is around and in all living things, the Jedi just take those that would be easier to train. No force cultivation needed, and no need to deal with family issues because they were taken as babies. Here, age doesn't matter, nor does force sensitivity. As his thoughts wonder, he heard the masters instruct them all to listen closely as he was about to recite the code of the greys.

"There is no Dark side nor Light side, there is only the force. I will do what I must to keep the balance. The balance is what keeps me together. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet emotion. Serenity, yet peace, Chaos, yet order. I am the wielder of the flame, the protector of balance. I am the holder of the torch, lighting the way. I am the keeper of the flame, I am a soldier of balance, a guardian of balance. I am a Grey Jedi." Vel listened in awe at the poetic and powerful words that rung in his ears. It is a true testament to the force and those who wield it. Vel knew he had found the right place for him. His new life was about to begin as a grey Jedi.

As the ceremony finished up, they were given room numbers in the student dormitories. Vel and Khala had dorms next to each other, both on the 5th floor on the top of the cliff. They walked together talking about their aspirations and goals as they made their way to their respective rooms. As they got there, they pushed the buttons and entered their rooms. He threw his duffle bag on the small couch next to the closet. He walked towards the window and saw that he had lucked out in terms of view. It over looked the mountains by the courtyard of the Temple. He walked over to the bed and noticed something laying on it. There sitting there were robes folded nicely with dark brown/black shin high leather boots at the foot of the bed. His tabard was black, his tunic and pants were white, and finally his under tunic grey as well as his obi belt. Next to the robes was a belt and a small metallic box. He put on the robes and was shocked at how light they were and how the breathed extremely well. It was like wearing air. He adjusted his belt and tightened it to hold his robes close together and then he looked at the box next to the robes. He flipped the switches securing it and opened it. Inside was a brand new lightsaber that seemed very familiar to him. He used to study lightsaber hilt designs when he used to go places with his parents. This lightsaber hilt was an ancient design, from the old republic days. It was a Gladius lightsaber hilt with black leather straps instead of the usual brown. It was a very basic but very comfortable and easy to use design. It is a hand and a half style hilt therefore users can switch between one handed and two handed use. He activated it, the deep surge of energy sounded as a golden beam launched from the hilt. He felt a sort of push or resistance pushing down, back into the hilt. That was the magnetic pull of the lightsaber which ensure that the beam stay consistent.

"Wow, you got a yellow saber?!" Khala surprised him, causing him to jump slightly.

"Yeah, I am assuming yours I green. Right?" He responded as he deactivated his saber.

"You would be correct." She smiled and brandished her lightsaber hilt. Vel noticed that she had the same hilt as him.

"Your lightsaber hilt is the same as mine." He said point towards hers.

"Yeah, everyone else that I saw had the same one, I guess we don't construct our own like the Jedi do. I'm not complaining, this is very comfortable in my hands." Khala stated while taking a firm double handed grip on her saber hilt. Vel nodded to agree. As they were speaking, a woman walked up behind the two of them.

"I see you guys have gotten your robes on with no issues." The woman's smooth voice got their attention. A purple Twi'lek female looked at the two and put her hand on her hips. Vel immediately felt the force around her. It was a very caring and loving personality. She smiled at them both and waved for them to follow.

"I am glad to have someone with a green lightsaber. I find the those with a blue one tend to be too…unpredictable." She said with her back facing them as they walked.

"I can honestly say though I've never trained a yellow saber. At least you won't be completely loose cannon. My name is Vera Suul. You can call me Master Suul." She opened an elevator as she finished her sentence. The three of them got in and went to ground level. They left and walked towards the courtyard of the complex.

"I will be the one training you from you passage as a student, to a scholar." While she was talking Vel and Khala both had a glimpse in their mind of Master Suul lunging at them with her lightsaber activated. Then they saw her reach for her saber and lunge at them, activating it in the process. They both activated theirs just in time to block the attack. They held her back and they both jumped back and took an unstable defensive stance. They have no experience using these sabers and aren't prepared for a fight with a master.

"I see your premonitions and reflexes are good." Master Suul said as she deactivated her lightsaber. It was a pure white colored saber.

"I didn't mean to startle you, I just wanted to test you. I wouldn't have harmed you." She reassured them with a soft smile.

"Why is your saber white?" Khala asked

"It is what signifies me a passing the stage of student. As you know, grey Jedi don't pull strictly from the light or the dark. We believe in the balance of them in order for us to learn about it in greater scopes. Those who chose one side, blind their true understanding of the beauty and capabilities of the force. It is graceful and powerful fed by inner peace and emotion. Learn to balance them, and you will have a more fulfilling life and connection to the force. The crystals that you are using are natural grown and they represent the light side of the force. The trial from becoming a student into a scholar is creating your own synthetic crystal. If you have truly reached balance within the force, the crystal will come out white, signifying you lack of association to one side of the force over the other. If it becomes a color, then you are to try again at a later time and see if you have reached balance by then. Colors represent aspects of the force, that is why traditionally Sith had red lightsabers before they went extinct and the Jedi have blue and green primarily. They do get your occasional yellow, but it's rare. You can tell if a crystal is synthetic or not by the sound a lightsaber makes when it is activated. Natural grown crystals have a deeper sound when activated, while synthetic have a high pitched shriller sound to it. Also, the lightsaber hilts and types can be changed once you reach the level of scholar. Every student gets a Gladius hilt because of its overall simplicity and balance. Some scholars and master do end up keeping their student lightsabers, but a decent amount construct their own hilts later on." She rolled up her sleeves as she finished up her speech.

"What do the Jedi think of us?" Khala asked as she placed her lightsaber on her belt.

"The Jedi order and the College of Greys have differing philosophy, but we both have a level of mutual respect for each other. If one of us see each other out somewhere and vice versa, we don't lock blades, we bow to each other and continue our business. There have been a few conflicts between the two of us, but for the most part, and as of now, we are on good terms. We are like a cousin to them. We have our own family issues but overall we are friendly. They do invite us to their temple as we do to them and have council meetings if we sense a strong disturbance in the force or if we need assistance from each other." Master Suul began taking a type of fighting stance upon finishing her words to her new apprentices. The apprentices began to brace for another attack.

"One more question before we start." Vel quickly stated. His teacher nodded

"Are we welcome in the senate as a free standing and independent group?" Vel inquired

"We are allowed to send ambassadors to the speak on behalf of our order and on our propositions for action. The Jedi aren't actively involved in the senate, and we tend to speak in it more than them. We also do cooperate with Jedi and the senate when being sent as ambassadors. There is a tendency for a Jedi to get a Grey Jedi as their secondary ambassador. We do believe in a republic and we work with it and the senate like the Jedi. People should have a voice because all people are equal in the eyes of the force. Now, speaking of force, let's see how strong you are in it." Master Suul throws a punch while standing about 100 feet away. The both of them got knocked back, but Vel landed on his feet after turning the momentum into a backflip. He threw his hand out with an open palm and master Suul was caught off guard by his quick recovery. He struck her and sent her flying back but she too landed it. She threw a few more force pushes at him put he either dodged them or put up a force shield to absorb some of the impact. He force jumped into the air and upon hitting the grown used a push to knock her feet out from under her, but she too recovered again. This went back and forth for some time. Khala made her way back into fray and didn't contend as much as did Vel. Eventually they subsided.

" _His force abilities are unbelievable; he is incredibly advanced beyond most Scholars in combative force."_ Suul thought to herself.

"Didn't expect that did you?" Vel said to Suul in a slightly sappy tone

"Don't get too full of yourself. I will admit your abilities are amazingly advanced beyond most people's." Suul said panting from their encounter

"I had a lot of time to practice for the longest part of my childhood. I also never let myself fall to emotions too much but didn't fear letting my feelings influence my convictions with the force." His explanation blew her away. He used the balance of the force to increase his abilities.

" _He may be one of the strongest force users this Order has ever seen."_ She thought while rolling her sleeves down. She signaled for them to go inside. The snow was starting to come down harder. As they were walking insider, Suul was describing the curriculum.

"We will start with lightsaber form 6, Niman. It is the balance form. It has no strength nor weaknesses. It incorporates aspects from all other forms. The Niman form that we teach does answer some of the questions that the jedi use. We do work more with using it in lightsaber dueling whereas it isn't as strong in dueling in the Jedi form. It also doesn't address issues with blaster fireas well and dealing with multiple enemies. Our version of Niman deals with that as well. The reason why we start teaching Niman is because it incorporates force abilities into saber dueling. Jedi don't use the force for combat like you guys and I just did in our duel. We use the force incorporation in our lightsaber dueling to help maximize our fighting capabilities. After Niman you can chose from any of the other forms, but niman is where we start all of our students because it is the most balanced of all the forms. We will also be discussing the origins of our order as well as our unique form of force martial arts. That is our agenda for tomorrow. Get your rest, It is going to be a busy day tomorrow." She finished her schedule by leaving them at their dorms. She waved them off as she left.

"Tough day" Khala said as she was recovering from the force attacks still.

"Yeah, this only marks the beginning I guess. I gotta get some sleep." Vel said while taking off his belt.

"Agreed, see you tomorrow." Khala walked into her room.

Vel took off his boots and sat on the edge of his bed. Using the force he levitated his belt and saber to the couch and took off the rest of his clothes. He had on only his underwear and sat there to mediate. He needed to clear his mind and tried to focus on the force around him. He started to focus on what Suul said about the Jedi. If he went with them, he wouldn't be able to increase his force abilities to the level that he wanted to. Upon thinking of the Jedi, he began to see a man in Jedi garb. He had long brown hair and a short beard and he was with a little boy. He could hear the Jedi speaking.

"His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have ever seen in a life-form. It was possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians." The man said in the middle of a circular room filled with other Jedi and a little boy. The image shocked him and he decided not to focus too much on it now but rather ask his Master the next day. It probably wasn't important anyway. Besides what could be so important about a Jedi and a little boy. He was tired and knew that his day would start early whether he liked it or not. Therefore, he got into bed, and pulled the blankets and sheets over him and closed his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2: Path of the Consular

**Chapter 2: Path of the Consular**

The Wind Blew through the trees in the forest, that was overlooked by the Cliff where the Temple of the Greys stood. The sun light created beams through the overhang of branches, which collided with the forest floor, creating a softly illuminated path. The winter birds chirped and the dead branches rustled in the gust of wind. Marelas' deep connection with the force soothed Vel as he walked through the forest. He strolled through and took a deep breath of fresh air and smelled the cold sharpness that hung in the frigid atmosphere. The fresh snow crunched under the pressure of his boots. He started on his way back to the temple after a long, meditative walk. He had already been through his first week of training. He was starting to read into the different jobs within the order. There were healers, police, temple guards, and more. Not everyone had to be a fighter, but everyone needed some knowledge on how to defend with the force and lightsaber. He had managed to get adjusted to form VI pretty fast. The transitions between force combat and fluid lightsaber combat was just right for him. The defense took heavily from Soresu, the blaster deflection of Shien, and the dueling superiority from Makashi. These forms had increased presences within the Grey's version of Niman. Vel had decided that he would more than likely follow the path of Niman through his career as a Grey Jedi. He had done exceptionally well with saber staff fighting but he also preferred the easy to control and concealable single bladed lightsaber. Out of all of his skills though, his connection to the force was his greatest asset. He did astounding performances already with the little training that he had. He is able to augment and increase his physical performance, as well as be proficient in force based unarmed combat. The unarmed combat drew some techniques from vaapad but not too much as its pull to the dark side could be too strong, even for Grey Jedi who learn to balance it out. His force feats were so great, that he had even been asked to help those who don't have a connection to the force yet, as to teach them how feel the force within the and direct it. Vel attributes his daily walks in the woods to increase his awareness of it, but either way he is satisfied with helping his kin.

"Vel, are there?" Master Suul com-linked Vel.

"Yes Master, I'm coming back from my walk. I will be there shortly." Vel got a simple "roger that" from his device. He placed it in its pouch on his belt and continued his walk towards the cliff. As he left the forest, it opened into a giant meadow where he could only imagine what it would be like in spring. While thinking of its eventual scenery, he reached the basin of the cliff and got into the elevator. He stepped in and pushed the button that signaled it to return to the Temple. A bout 30 seconds past before it reached the top. He stepped off and walked in through the large back doors. There weren't many people around at this time for some reason. He could hear the clacking of his black leather boots on the marble floor. The echo permeated through the temple.

"wait right there." A familiar voice said to him from the upper level. He looked up at the second floor in the open hall and saw his partner Khala. She was holding two duffle bags in her hand. She threw one down at him, and he slowed it down with the force before easing it to the ground.

"What's with the bags?" he asked as he went to open the bag to find out for himself.

"We are going with Master Suul to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She has been summoned for a meeting with the High Council. She said the best training is out in the field, therefore she decided to bring us with her." Vel seemed to light up with a smile of excitement. He had always wanted to go back to the temple, especially to meet with the High Council.

"That's right, and our ship is departing in a little bit, so you best get your stuff ready before we go." Master Suul walked up from beside Vel. She was already packed and ready to go. Vel looked in his bag and decided that his friend had gathered all that he needed. He gave Khala a thumbs up and a nod of thanks. He knelt down quickly though to remove some of the ice that had fallen into his boot. He untucked his white pants from it and undid the zipper on the back of it that ran down to the top of the heel. As he was down, Khala jumped down from the second level and gave him a swat on the back of the head and smile. He just did up his boot and rubbed the back of his head with a grin. The three of them walked to the ship together and bordered it, wasting no time. The Pilot took of not more than 2 minutes later, and their journey to Coruscant began.

The ship went through hyperspace for some time. Vel and Khala were used to seeing the blue worm whole like light effect that happened when jump space was entered. Vel turned to his master who has leaning back against her eyes shut. She wasn't asleep, Vel could sense her energy being quite aware. He remembered something in the Curriculum that she had forgotten to go over when they begin their training. He thought to himself that since they had some time to kill, he might as well ask her.

"Master Suul, you never told us about the founders of our Order." Suul opened one eye quickly to look at him, then shut it again and sigh as she prepared to speak.

"You're right, I can't believe I forgot that. She sat there still with her arms crossed as well as her legs, but she opened her eyes to look at them both. Khala had gathered to hear the tale as well.

"The story Starts many Years ago, during the Great Sith War, a Jedi knight named Jaas Heran was sent to investigate suspected Sith Activity in the Kumlana system. The Jedi had intel that a powerful Sith was trying to research some old Sith artifact. To this day we still have no idea what the artifact was. Anyways, as he landed on the frigid planet, he met with the locals who had described the Sith and where he was hiding. The Sith's name was Carrion. He wasn't a lord, but he wasn't too far off from becoming one. Jaas Heran managed to track down Carrion and engage him in a duel. The two were equally matched but didn't stop to reassess their plans of attack. Eventually, the Cave they were in collapsed in on itself, and the two fell to the depths of it. Once the two gathered their thoughts, their duel continued to ensue. As they fought, they sensed creatures of some type coming in their direction. The two of them stopped what they were doing to focus on the new threat. The creatures ended up coming and they two fought them off. They decided not to continue their fight afterwards. They wandered the caves to find a way out. On their way out, the cave started to implode again. Carrion and Jaas Heran used the force to stop the rock and ice from crushing them. Jaas found it Hard to support the rubble for long, but Carrion fared better. Carrion convinced Jaas to use his emotions as strength for the force. After which then load of the Rubble became negligible. After using the dark side of the force a few more times, Jaas became accustomed to it. When they almost reached the end of the cave, the creatures came back but in greater numbers. Lightsabers alone could hold back the creatures, therefore, Jaas told Carrion to let go of his emotions and feel the peace within him and reach out to the mind of the attackers. It took some time but Carrion managed to pull it off and the two of them used the light side to calm and dissuade the beasts. As they left the cave, they decided that both sides of the force have aspects that the other doesn't. Jaas was influenced by the sheer strength of the dark side, and Carrion was enthralled by the peace and clarity that overwhelmed him by using the light. If the two were used in tandem, then imagine the capabilities. They then, that day rejected their orders and vowed to balance the force. They would teach all those that they could about the force and that the polarities within it are actually two sides of the same coin. Learning to view the force as one large whole rather than two opposite sides. That is how our order and philosophy came to be." Master Suul finished her story by putting her head back and closing her eyes again. The two pupils were completely enticed, and couldn't believe that a Sith managed to put his views aside to help a Jedi and vice versa.

"Welcome to Coruscant everyone" The Pilot said, which cause Master Suul to jump to her feet. The Students followed her lead as they were preparing to land on the large platform. The ship bounced at it hit the landing pad. The two went to grab their bags, but the pilots in the ship took them before they could.

"It's your duty walk out in high stature and bow. I can handle the bags. The Pilot smiled and winked at the Students. They smiled at his gesture and faced the door as it slowly opened. The door slowly revealed three figures wearing long brown robes standing a few meters away from the opening door. Master Suul smiled and walked out towards the robed individuals. Khala and Vel followed shortly behind their master.

"Master Suul, it's a pleasure as always to welcome you to Coruscant." The dark skinned man in the middle started the conversation as he and the others bowed.

"Master Windu, the feeling is mutual. I was very disturbed to hear your message. I… I am sorry to hear about Master Qui-Gon. He was a great Jedi, and an inspiration for generations of Jedi and Greys to come." Suul had gotten quite melancholy and sounded rather saddened.

"We appreciate the sentiment, his memory will live on in our Archives and in our minds… I see you have new students with you." Master Windu turned his attention to the two young people standing behind her.

"Yes, these are my new Padawans, in your lingo. This is Vel Moren, and Khala Vui Kas." They both bow respectively as their names were announced by their Master

"Hello young ones, I am Master Mace Windu, this man to my right is Master Ki Adi Mundi, and to my Left Master Plo Koon." There two Masters bowed.

"We have a lot to discuss, I think we had better head to the temple." Mace directed them to a shuttle nearby. The six of them entered the shuttle and pilot flew them to the temple. Vel was intrigued by the city, but he felt a little disconnected from it because of it being completely covered over by city. It wasn't awful to him but he does prefer some planet to be exposed. He didn't pay attention to them much as the ride there took place, but when the Temple came into view, he sprung up and looked at the historical building make its presence known. It was a beautiful piece of architecture amongst a city of steel. The shuttle pulled up next to the staircase and the Jedi exited the vehicle. They walked up the main staircase of the building and as before, Vel couldn't stop taking in all that it had to offer. At the main door, two guards stood, their faces completely covered. It was intimidating, but respectable at the same time. Inside the building, had a very similar feel because of the College having extremely similar structure to this Temple. Master Suul turned to her pupils.

"From here on out, you can't follow. We are headed towards the Jedi Council chambers. Students aren't allowed access unless authorized in there, therefore you must wait here. Master Windu has granted you access to the training grounds and the library. Feel free to ask around and talk with the other Jedi, just don't do anything to get in trouble. We are their guest and we don't want to offend them." Master Suul gave the students a very stern warning. Both of the Student bowed and departed from their Master.

"So, where do you want to go now?" Khala said as she started walking backwards as to keep facing Vel.

"I'm going to practice my blaster deflection." Vel said smirking at his companion.

"I'm going to go to the library. I mean, when will we ever get the chance to look into the archives here again?" Khala wen running off like a little child after describing her plan. Vel chuckled at her innocent soul. He admired her attitude and outlook on life. He made his way to the training room. There he noticed a young Jedi trying his skills at deflecting blaster bolts. Vel didn't want to disturb so he quietly removed his cape (They don't wear hooded robes because their hoods are attached to their Tabards, so they just wear capes to cover them externally). Vel started a droid and activated his lightsaber. The practice orb flew in zig zags and shot at random. Vel managed to block all the shots fired at him.

"Hey mister, you're very good." The little boy said to him as he practiced.

"Oh yeah? Thanks" Vel said with a warm smile at the boy.

"Your outfit looks different than mine, are you a Jedi too?" The boy asked curiously. Vel deactivated his yellow saber. And turned and kneeled towards the boy in order to be at eye level.

"Sort of, I am similar to a Jedi, but my order has different philosophy than the yours." Vel said as he rested one of his arms on his bent knee.

"Are you a Sith?" The boy's question surprised Vel.

"No, not at all. I am a Grey Jedi. We believe in the balance of the Light and Dark sides of the force. We don't use our abilities to harm others who are defenseless like the Sith did." Vel reassured the boy

"Oh, well, can I ask you another question." Vel chuckled and nodded at the boy

"Can you help me block blaster shots? I can't seem to do it right." The boy asked with his head down, obviously a little embarrassed.

"Sure, you know what, we'll do it both together." Vell said giving the Padawan a rub on the head. The boy smiled and welled up with excitement.

"Let me see how you do it first. I can correct something if it needs improvement." Vel said as he took a step back and rubbed his chin with one of his hands as he observed. The young Jedi activated his blue lightsaber again. Then the practice orb went into zig zags and started firing. The boy had blocked the first few back but took a few shots to the shoulders and legs.

"See sir? I can't get them all." The boy sounded disappointed.

"I know what the problem is." Vel took his hand away from his chin and walked towards the boy.

"When you hold your lightsaber, the energy from it is pushing towards the bottom of the hilt right?" Vel asked and the boy nodded

"When you are blocking, you are sticking the tip of the saber towards the shot more so than it should be. You are tensing up and causing the saber to move forward rather than using the natural push of the saber's hilt to redirect the blade. Turn the bottom of the hilt towards the direction in which you want to saber to go, and then let the saber move itself. This will help with a smooth transition from one stance or block into another. The other thing you have to do is keep the saber facing long ways if you want it to reflect bolts better. You either want to saber to be facing straight up, diagonally, or sideways. You don't want the blade to be pointed out towards your opponent too much. Now, I use the natural pull of the saber hilt to move the saber where it needs to be, but you can also move the saber to the location that you want and disregard the flow of the saber. This is more direct and is a preferred method of some Jedi. You need to figure out which one works best for you." Vel grabbed the kids hands and showed him how to let the pressure pushing against the hilt help him move fluidly, and he also showed him how to block by controlling the saber's location himself. The boy started up the orb once more, and tried using the saber's momentum to block and it worked out perfectly. Then, after a few shots, the boy switched to the control method. This time he much more precise and he refrained well from pointing the tip of the saber out too far.

"I did it!" The boy said with a noticeable boost in moral and excitement.

"Good, I'm very proud of you. You learned how to do this immediately after me teaching you. You'll make a great Jedi Knight one day, I'm sure of it" Vel was pleased and he smiled and clapped as the boy finished his successful run. Vel joined in and the two of them practiced a bit together and he could see how happy the boy was. He could feel the joy and confidence in him building, and that was encouraging to Vel. The two began finishing up after a bit. Vel went and put on his cape and said his goodbyes

"Wait, Sir, what's your name?" The boy asked Vel

"I am Vel Moren, you can call me Vel." Vel replied as he brushed his bangs away from the top of his vision.

"What's yours?" Vel asked and right as the boy went to speak someone in the doorway interrupted.

"Anakin! Are you bothering this man? You should be training." The robed Jedi came in unknowing of the situation.

"No worries, Master Jedi, I was helping him with his blaster deflections." Vel vouched for the Padawan named Anakin.

"It's true Obi-Wan, look!" Anakin reassured his master before activating the orbs to demonstrate both of the new forms and techniques he learned.

"My, my Anakin, that's very impressive. Looks like you have found your technique for this part of the training. I'm sorry your name is?" Obi-Wan turned to the Grey

"I'm Vel Moren, Grey Jedi." Vel shook the Jedi Knight's hand.

"Pleased to meet you, I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, this is my Padawan Anakin Skywalker. I am grateful for you service to him. I'm sure you've dealt with younglings a lot in you Temple." Obi-Wan said with a grin

"Actually, this is my second week as a student." This information shocked both Obi-Wan and Anakin.

"That's hard to believe, your skills with a blaster deflation are remarkable." Obi-Wan complimented

"Thank you Master Obi-Wan, I am trying to get better and hearing that you think my form is good really means a lot." Vel politely showed his gratitude.

"I must be going now, my partner is on the loose and I need to get back to her." Obi-Wan and Anakin both bowed as did Vel as he left. There was something about that boy, he looked very familiar. He must have seen him somewhere before, but where? He pondered the question as he went looking for his partner. He ended up paying no mind, he fixed his grey tabard from practicing and made his way to the library.

Khala end Vel were waiting for the master to finish up in the Council Chamber. By now they had done all that they needed to do. Khala was getting anxious and decided to meditate to keep herself occupied. Vel though that doing the same could only benefit him. He started his deep and slow breathing. He sat with his back straight up and feet on the ground. He put his hands on his knees and started to clear his mind. He wanted to try something. He remembered a mediation in one can move their vision and hearing into another location. The method was called remote viewing, and he figured now would be a good time, more than ever. He focused on the inside of the council chamber.

He started to see live images in his mind and hear the voices.

"I know, I know the courts want to subpoena the Trade Federation for its business logs, but the federation has transaction with most major systems, we couldn't pin down necessarily which ones supplied them with a droid army. The records could have been destroyed in the command ship above Naboo for all we know." Master Suul said in the guest chair as she rubber her forehead in frustration.

"It's not our choice to go through with this, but the Trade Federation had a powerful contact who managed to kill one our most respected masters. This could be a clue in discovering the identity of the other Sith Lord. It is obvious that the Sith Lord supplied the army, now we need a name." Mace Windu said leaning forward and resting his arms on his lap.

"How can we even be sure that it was a Sith Lord and not a trained assassin? The Sith have been gone for generations, a resurgence now would be absolutely useless and futile." Master Suul argued back

"The evidence is irrefutable, Obi-Wan Kenobi confirmed that it was a highly trained individual with great knowledge of the dark side of the force." Mace countered.

"I don't know, it wouldn't make sense for them to come back now, what evidence do we have to go on though?" Master Suul pondered, still thinking that another explanation was possible. Mace reached behind him and pulled out a cloth covered object. He removed the cloth and revealed what appeared to be a lightsaber with some sustained damage to the end of it. Probably by another lightsaber in Vel's expert opinion.

"This is one half of his weapon, that Obi-Wan severed." Mace said which surprised Vel. "Obi-Wan did that?" he thought. Mace activated the blade and from the hilt extended a crimson blade. The sound was a high pitch sound, which indicated a synthetic crystal was at use. Vel started to feel cold. Chills went through him and he felt uncomfortable. It was the dark side of the force. He feels it when he uses some abilities from the darker aspect.

"Hmmmm, this is… unsettling. The crystal in that gives off much dark side energy. It's pure darkness and hatred." Suul said as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"I will speak in support of action against the Viceroy tomorrow. There is obviously more at stake here than meets the eye. I'll need to meditate on this. If there Sith has returned, that could mean another full scale war, which the republic doesn't have the resources to participate in right now." Master Suul added as she stood and prepared to leave.

"At the Vote tomorrow, meet again we will." Master Yoda concluded the council meeting. Everyone rose, and bowed before leaving one by one. Vel and Khala both stood up immediately as the door from the elevator opened. They were startled out of their meditative states.

"How did it go Master?" Khala asked.

"It was alright, but we may have an issue on the rise. Tomorrow we will be on the floor of the Senate for a vote. You will be there with me. You are not to speak unless I say." Master Suul warned them both. They nodded and began walking away towards their transport. Their hotel was visible from the Jedi temple as well as the Senate building. The ride from the temple was approximately 1 minute and their belongings were already brought into their rooms. They were staring as VIPs. They were given rooms reserved for politicians as well as service. Vel didn't need the service though. He knew all that he needed to know from the Council today. He learned how to debate a long time ago from his parents and how he used to watch them. He was looking forward to being in the middle of a debate again. He truly did enjoy politics. It was interesting to him for one reason or another. He removed his robes and weapon and went into the hotel bed. It was definitely more comfortable than that of the College's and with that he fell asleep rather quickly.

Vel finished his shower and dried himself off. He went into his bag and pulled out a fresh folded outfit to wear. He prefers to have a with tunic and pants with either a black or grey tabard. He chose black today, because it seemed more formal than grey. He pulled his hood from under the cape and covered his head. Then he slipped his feet, with elastic on the bottom to hold the pants in place, into his black leather boots that shined in the light of the morning sun through the windows. He zipped up the back, causing them to fit snuggly against his calves. He stood up and used the force to pull his lightsaber to him. He looked at it for a moment. He may see his parent again today. Will they be proud of him? They didn't want him to leave for the College. He did out of his own decision. They wanted him to become a Diplomat like them. He just felt that his potential would have been wasted. It is because of them that he didn't become a normal Jedi. He clipped the weapon to his utility belt and used the force to open and close the door for him as he left. The man covered in head to toe by a hood and cape met up with those who shared his apparel, his master and partner.

"Are you guys ready?" Master Suul asked with a calming smile on her face? The two nodded and the three of them left the lobby and headed towards the shuttle. They sat down and started towards the senate building. Suul could sense something stirring within Vel.

"Vel, what's wrong?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"My parents are probably going to be here today." Vel said unenthusiastically

"That's a good thing, right?" Suul asked trying to cheer him up

"I don't know yet. I don't know if they will accept my decision to become a Grey Jedi." He said obviously a bit nervous for their encounter.

"Aw, don't you worry my apprentice, if they don't accept it, I will have your back." Master Suul said as she threw and arm around him and pulled him into her bosom in a caring embrace. She noticed that he smiled a little in relief. The Shuttle slowed down until it reached a full stop. The Grey Jedi stood up and walked side by side into the building with their hoods up and capes enveloping their bodies.

By the time the entered their hovering booths, the arguing had begun. People from different races and organizations had convened for the sole purpose of deciding the fate of Nute Gunray and his doings within the Trade Federation. They were not liked by many unions and groups, because of their swift ways of extorting money from others. Vel thought that it was going to be a simple decision but by the looks of things, nobody could decide what to do with the Viceroy.

"What the Viceroy has done is unacceptable but his services have been nothing but beneficial to our cities and citizens." One group argues

"An attack on Naboo is an attack on the Republic" Another group yells. It was otter chaos. Chancellor Palpatine ordered for silence.

"We will first listen to what Senator Amidala has to say." The Chancellor orders. Naboo's booth hovers forward.

"Thank you Chancellor. No matter what "reasons" the viceroy had to occupy a free and sovereign planet, he has committed war crimes of starvation and mass execution of the citizen of Naboo. We lost too many people for anyone to turn a blind eye to it. The droid army he possessed was not a legalized for of security like he claims, it was an illegal accessed invasion army that killed natives and citizens of Naboo. I can't sit by and watch others try and justify his actions. I agree to move and support the vote as the representative from Naboo. We are in favor." Senator Amidala retired back to her seat after her speech.

"This is good; she has good connections with the Banking Clan as well as the Techno Union Army. They support her decisions for the most part and they are very powerful and closd with other systems that may be backing the Viceroy. If they support Senator Amidala's movement, then the other systems would have to follow. They wouldn't dare harm relations with the Naboo lest they want to lose good business and support for their operations." Vel said to Suul and Khala. Suul nodded in agreement while Khala looked on with a very serious face.

"Next to speak, San Hill representing the Intergalactic Banking Clan." Chancellor Palpatine announced

"Thank you Chancellor, on behalf of the Intergalactic Banking Clan, in terms of the movement to vote on the termination of the Viceroy's trade-franchise, we do not forward the vote." Everyone in the Senate gasped audibly. Everyone was completely shocked, including the Greys. The three of them stood there with their jaws hanging in disbelief.

"We don't see any need to terminate a reputable business based on the loss of some lives. It is a tragedy to lose them, but there is not proof of ill intent." San Hill continued. People were yelling and screaming at the decision, while others were cheering and praising it.

"This is not good at all. Even with the Techno Union Army's support, the voted could be vetoed because the majority have already made their decisions based on that last statement." Khala said being extremely flabbergasted

"Next to speak it Wat Tombor of the Techno Union Army" Chancellor Palpetine seems to be getting upset at the pervious statement.

"Thank you Chancellor, on behalf of the Techno Union Army, I would like to say that we appreciate our business with the Naboo. They have always been easy to work with and are great trade partners. That being said, we cannot support the vote to eliminate the Viceroy's position and trade franchise." Even louder this time, everyone in the room everyone gasped once more. None of the Jedi knew how to respond to this. The two biggest players and allies of the Naboo just turned their back on them. Something wasn't right there, and everyone knew it.

"Order, we need Order" Plpatine's assistant yelled

"Next to speak is Aleyna Moren from The Republic alliance of Corellia." Vel turned white when hearing that name, his mother was going up to speak. He hoped she didn't see him.

"Thank you Chancellor, we are appalled by what we are hearing. The Naboo's two greatest allies have turned on them in their greatest time of need? They aren't true allies in that case, we will support and forward the movement of the vote to the supreme court as well. People's lives are on the line here, why play around and try and save trade deals and behind doors transactions will people have lost loved ones to the monster Nute Gunray." She finished her short but powerfully voiced speech.

"Thank you Diplomat Moren of Corellia, next to speak, Master Suul from the College of Greys. Also, she speaks on behalf of the Jedi Order. The three Grey Jedi held onto the rails as their booth started moving towards the center of the Senate room. Master Suul removed her hood and faced the entire crowd.

"Thank you Chancellor, on behalf of the College and the Jedi order, we not only call for the forward of the vote, but a subpoena for the business log of the current Viceroy's Trade Federation. We believe it is vital to know who these droids were purchased from. Some of the people in this room make battle droids similar to the ones used in the invasion. Other companies also make similar droids to the ones used. We need to know who it is that supplied a trade union with an army capably of leveling a government and stopping a planet in its tracks. We also support sanctions imposed if the vote is not passed. That is all." Master Suul finished her speech and was ready to pull away but her student decided to speak without authorization.

"Chancellor, if you would excuse me, my name is Vel Moren, I would like to add something to my Master's proposal." As vel finished his statement his master pulled at his sleeve and gave him a dirty look from behind her hood which she just put back on. There were whispers on the crowd as well as some chuckles. The one thing that caught his attention more than anything was his mother's eyes staring at him as she leaned on one elbow against the railing of the booth. She smirked as if to challenge him and she tapped her finger as if silently judging him.

"Go ahead my boy" The Chancellor smiled at him and let him speak. Vel bowed out of respect to the Chancellor.

"We all know that this is a shock not just to the Naboo, but to us all. Two of their best ally's side with the person trying to force policy on them and giving them an ultimatum if they deny. If I learned one thing from my parent, it is that sanctions don't solve any problem. Under the legal code of the Galactic Senate of the Republic volume 9 section 253, paragraph 4 line 1, "Any and all ultimatum given by a foreign entity to government under the jurisdiction of the Galactic Republic, is to be considered an act of war/treason and proactive parties involved will be considered enemies of the state. Also, our legal code designates Large private owned business as non-domestic and foreign, which means Viceroy's Trade Federation can be prosecuted under the previously stated law" As Vel was going through his legal code people started to clap and applaud

"Oh, and to the rest of the systems participating in this assembly today. If the legal code fails us too, like two respected allies, then remember that it's not illegal to place an embargo on foreign entities such as clans, unions, and federations." Nearly everyone in the room stood up and clapped for him as he stepped back. Senator Amidala stood smiling and clapping as well as Vel's mother. He put his hood back on and their booth went back to its original location. They exited the booth and stepped off to meet Master Windu and Master Yoda.

"A very wise apprentice, you have." Master Yoda said with an impressed look on his face.

"Indeed, he may have just put the Viceroy behind bars by himself." Master Windu added

"I told him not to speak… but now I'm sort of glad that he did." Master Suul gave him a pat on the back.

"That was amazing, I was really getting worried after that betrayal, but you completely saved the vote, as well as given your own little ultimatum to the Viceroy and companies." Khala give him a tight hug to demonstrate her support and proud feelings towards him.

"Eh-hem, Vel you owe me one hell of an explanation!" a familiar voice came from behind him. It was his mother.


End file.
